Typewriting machine



W. F. HELMOND.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1919 Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Affor W. F. HELMOND.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1919.

1 ,428,886, Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFnca.

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To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. HEL- MOND, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting "Machines, of which the fol-' lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriters, and especiall'y to the releasable means for looking the keys as soon as a line has been written; and an object of the invention is to provide an improved line-lock release mechanism, whereb the efiiciency of the machine as a who e is increased.

In the Underwood machine, a carriage lug depresses a cam which operates a pendent arm. This arm moves the usual keylocking bar into interfering position relatively to the key levers. A. button is rovided which passes horizontally throug a hole in the left side of the typewriter frame, and engages and moves the pendent arm, to effect the release of the keys. With this construction, the operative is compelled to take his hand from the regionof the keyboard in order to release the keys. This is a time-consuming and awkward movement.

According to the present invention, a depressible referably at the left of one of the usual ower banks of keys, fon effecting the release of the locked type keys, and said pendent arm is moved outwardly instead of in- 85 'wardly to effect key release. This may be accomplished by providing an inwardly-directed pin on the pendent arm to engage the upstanding arm which moves the keylocking bar, and by providing a cam on the pendent arm for engagement by a bent-over portion of the key-release lever. This construction also permits of a longer keylgnking bar than has been heretofore feas- 1 e.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fi ure 1 represents a side elevation of an nderwood typewriter having my improvement embodied therein.

Figure 2 is a perspective view looking from the right.

Figu of the mechanism as seen from the right side key is located in the keyboard,

shaft 15 an re 3 is an elevational view of partsof the machine, said view showing the keys locked. Y

Figure 4 is a perspective view looking from the left and showin the parts in the position they assume at t e moment of unlocking of-thekeys.

The typewritin machine may comprise the usual ke boar having keys 1, said keys comprising ey-levers 2, connected through bell-cranks 3, to type bars 4 having types 5 thereon, as indicated in Figure 1. The depression of any key swings a type bar about its pivot upwardly and rearwardly to cause a type to strike against the front face of a platen 6, supported in a carriage 7. The carriage may be' fed a letter-space at a time on the depression of each key through the usual escapement mechanism 8, comprising a fixed and a movable dog which alternately engage with the escapement wheel 9, mounted upon a stud shaft extending into the typewriter frame. Adjacent the escapement wheel'9 and also mounted on the stud shaft is a pinion 10 which engages a rack 11 mounted on the t p'ewriter carriage. The usual spring (not's own) tends to move the to do so by action of the escapement dogs.

The escapement dogs are operated by means of a frame 12 having a bar 13un1- versal to all of the type bars and actuated by each type bar through the medium of a cam formation 14 as each type bar approaches the end of its stroke.

The key-locking mechanism includes a shaft 15 pivoted underneath the typewriter key levers and having adjacent each end thereof upstanding arms 16 and 17 rigidly secured thereto, which arms carry a keylocking bar '18, which bar isadapted to move under rearwardly-extending lugs 19 carried by the key levers, when the shaft 15 in rocked.

The shaft 15, together with the arms 16 and 17, and the lock bar 18, are urged to position wherein the bar 18 unlocks the keys, by a spring 20 coiled about the shaft 15 and fastened to a pin 21 projecting from the arm 17, the other end of the spring being attached to some stationary part,'as, for instance, a in 22. Upstanding-from the d to the left and adjacent to the arm 17 i is another arm 23 also rigid with t e shaft 15, which arm is adapted to be carriage in one direction when permitted 1 engaged and 'moved to rock the shaft 15 against the tension of the spring 20, w ereby the locking bar 18 is moved to position to' lock the keys. y

It is desirable that the ke docking take place at the end of a line 0 writing, and

to this end the carriage of the typewriter has a projecting arm 24 which carries a cam member 25, which member is adapted to contact with a cam. 26 which engages a yoke member 27 pivoted for rocking movement on a shaft 28 extending between the side frame members of the typewriter. The cam 26 forms part of an adjustable member 29 which is movable along the shaft 28 to determine the position in the line of writing at which the key-locking takes place. Connected to the yoke member 27, just inside of the typewriter frame, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, is a depending arm 30, whichcarrics at its lower end a pawl 31 which is adapted to engage and rock the arm. 23, above described. The pawl 31 is pivoted at the lower extremity of the arm 30 and has a lip 32 which is bent over the back edge of the arm 30, so that the pawl may rock in one direction but moves as though rigid with the arm 30 when said arm is moved in the other direction. This rocking movement of the pawl is desirable because not only does the pawl serve as a means for actuating the means for locking the keys, but also as a means for ringing a signal bell 33, which is providedwith the usual hammer 34, the hammer arm being formed of a pivoted lever having a cam end 35 against which the pawl 31 wipes as the arm 30 moves in the direction of the arrow, Figures 1 and 4. When so moving, the lip 32 prevents the pawl from rocking, so that the hammer lever 35 is first depressed and then releases so as to ring the bell. On its return movement, however, the pawl rocks to permit clearance. During the forward movement of the arm 30, the pawl 31 also causes a pin 36 (see Figure 3) extending inwardly or from the ri ht side thereof to engage the arm 23, as indlcated in Figure 3, thereby rocking the arm 23 and consequently the shaft 15 and key-locking bar 18.

Contrary to prior instructions, the arm 30 is adapted to be moved outwardly or to the left so as to remove the pin 36 on the pawl 31 from behind the arm 23, and so as to permit the spring 20 to move the locking bar 18 to normal position to release the keys. In order to move the arm 30 outwardly, it is provided with a bent-over cam member 37 which is adapted to be engaged by a bentover projection 38 carried by a lock-release key comprisingv a key lever 39, having a finger-piece 40. The key lever 39 is mounted along with the rest of the typewriter key levers and its finger-piece 40 is for convenience arranged in one of the lower rows or reaches such a position in the line 0 -means effective, a lock-release k? e banks of keys, preferably at the left-hand end of said row. The lever 39 mag be pivotally mounted on the shaft whic supports the bell-cranks 3, said shaft being extended, if necessary, for such purpose, and a spring 39' may be provided to return said lever to normal position after each depression thereof. 4

When the carriage of the ty writer writing that the cam member 25 contacts the cam 26, the yoke 27 is rocked and the member 30 moved to the position shown in Fi re 3, with the cam-'37 under the projecting lug 38. When. the ke 40 is depressed, the lug 38 cams the mem er 30 outwardly and disengages the in 26 on the pawl 31 from the arm 23. T e spring 20 then returns the locking bar 18 to normal position and the keys are free. By having the key-release mechanism in the keyboard along with the other keys, the operative does not need to move his or her hand from the position over the keyboard, and time is thereby saved. Furthermore, by reason of the fact that the member 30 moves outwardly instead of inwardly, as has been the custon heretofore, there 1s more room available at the left-hand side of the machine, so that the locking bar 18 may be made longer.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and im rovements ma be used without others.

aving thus escribed my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a ke board including a plurality of keys, of Ice ing means to lock said keys against operation at the end of a line of writing, said locking means having an o erating arm located adjacent one end of t e typewriter frame a movably mounted controller bar for said locking means, said bar having a part capable of being brought into contact with said 0 erating arm so as to move the same an render said locking in said keyboard, and means rendered e ctive on depression of said ke for moving the contacting portion of sald bar toward the adjacent end of said typewriter frame, thereby separating it from said operating arm and permitting said locking means to release said keys. 1

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a keyboard including a plurality of keys, of means for locking said keys at the end of a line of writing, a pendent arm extending from the upper art of the t pewriter frame and contro ling said lOCI K IDg means, said arm having a bent-over lip forming a cam, and a key'in the keyboard having a bent-over lug formed for engagement with said cam lip to move said pendent arm to release said keys.

portions of the 3. In a typewriting machine, the combinalock said keys, and a key-release including tion with a plurality of keys, of locking means to move said pendent arm outwardly means for said keys,inc1uding a rock shaft, so as to withdraw said pin from engagea locking bar moved by said shaft to lock ment with the arm carried by said rock shaft, the keys, a spring to return said. shaft and to permit said spring to move said locking 15 bar, an arm carried by said shaft, an arm bar to position to release said keys.

pendent from the upper part of the type- WILLIAM F. HELMOND. writer frame having a pin on the inner Witnesses: face thereof, to engage said first-mentioned SHIRLEY E. GLEDHILL,

10 arm and thereby move said locking bar to JOHN J. BASKERVIILE. 

